Trolley-wheel.



E. K. HARRIS.

TROLLEY WHEEL.

- APPLIGATION FILED Muze. 1909.

976, 72. Patented Nov. 22, 1910.

WITNESSES y To all 'it may concern:

Enwnn x. HARRIS, or CANANDAIGUA, NEW YORK.

TROLLEY-WHEEL.

Application filed May 26, 1909. Serial No. 498,399.

are such that a greater portion of the Wheel regularities of the wire.

touches the trolley wire than vin ordinary metal trolley wheels, and the wheel is formed of such material as to allow the Wire to give a uniform contact irrespective of iror projections along the length Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming'a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresprlonding parts in allY -the views, and in whic Y Figure 1 1s a side elevatlon of a Wheel constructed 1nv accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 isa transverse sectionon the` line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the wheel in contact with a trolley wire; and Fig. 4 is a view of the portion of the outer or peripheral surface of the wheel.

Thebody of my improved wheel may be formed in any suitable manner, either as a solid casting or made u of a series of parts, as may be found most esirable in practice.

In the specil'ic form illustrated I 'employ a hub 10 with a central passage therethrough to adapt it for mounting upon a suitable spindle or axle carried by the trolley pole. "This hub 10 is connected by a series of spokes l1 to a rim 12, which latter preferably has outwardly vextending flanges 13, 13 to form a-peripheral groove or chan-v nel in the rim. The hub, spokes and rim Lmay be conveniently cast as a single piece of f metal.

The rim 12 carries a tire 14, referably of rubber, and having a central) passage or chamber 15. Certain of the general features of this tire and the rim may be constructed very similar to the common form of pneumatic tire with clencher rims employed upon vehicle wheels, but of course the trolley wheel is constructed'upon a greatly reduced scale. The tire may be filled with compressed air or any suitable substance so Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Now, 22, 1910, l

as to normally hold the louter portion ofthe Y tire distended, but permit of a limited radial movement in respect to-the rim.

The rim is provided with a central peripheral groove 16 adapted to receive the trolley wire, and is preferably provided with two grooves 17, 17 upon .opposite sides thereof and substantially parallel thereto, for the purpose hereinafter set forth.-

As the tire is a non-conductor ofv electricity, the periphery ofthe tire is provided with a metallic covering or facing by means of which the current may be conducted from the trolley wire to the rim and thence down the trolley pole to the car. This covering is preferably in the form of a wire 18 of copper or other similar material; and extended back and forth across the periphery of the tire. The wire is bent so as to fit down into the three grooves or corrugations, 16, `17,

17 andas each transverse -run of the wire 1s connected to the next transverse run only at its ends, it is evidentjthat this wire facing vis freely flexible with vthe surface of the tire. Within the two outer grooves 17 17 are preferably two side wires 19, 19`connecting togetherall of the transverse runs of the wire 18, and holding themin place. .These side `wires 19, 19 lie within the two grooves 17,

17, and as they are of asmaller diameter than the portions ofthe tire just outside of these grooves 17, 17 they serve to hold the wire casing in place and positively prevent its detachment or disengagement from the tire.

One or vboth of the side wires 19 may be connected to the rim by radially disposed wires 20, which not only aid in holdlng the wire casing or facing in place, but also serve wires 18 to the rim 12.

l As previously stated, the central groove 16 serves to receive the trolley wire. The material of the tire is, of course', thinner opposite the threegrooves 1 6, 17, 17 than 1t 1s at the portions intermedlate these grooves, and therefore apressure of the trolley wlre radially of the wheel will tend to bend the tire along the central groove bring the portion of the tire on opposlte .sldes to these grooves toward each other, as illustratedyin Fig.` 3. This movement of the portlons of to conduct the electricity `from they cross the tire tends to grip the trolley wire upon opposite sides so that the contact between the trolley wire and the wire 18 will extend throughout approximately one-half of the circumference or outer surface of the adjacent portion of the trolley' wire. rlhe side grooves 17,17 serve not only for the reception of the ends of the transverse wire 18 and the circumferential wires 19, but they also permit the tire to bend along 'the lin'es of the grooves, between these two side grooves andl the center groove 16, will ltend to swing toward the central groove to effect the gripping action before referred to.

Various changes may be made in the construction of my improved. trolley wheel within the scope of my invention as defined by the claims, as the particular form illustrated involves only one embodiment of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, I

' claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A trolley wheel having a rim, and a resilient tire of non-conducting material carried thereby and having a peripheral groove adapted to receive a trolley wire and conducting means lying along said groove.

2. A y trolly Wheel having a peripheral tire of'non-conducting resilient material, and provided with two peripheral ridges or flanges separated by a peripheral groove and conducting means carrled thereby.

3. A trolley wheel having a peripheral tire formed of rubber and provided with a peripheral groove adapted to receive a trolley wire, said tire having a metallic facing within said-groove and electrically connected to the rim of the wheel.

4. A trolley wheel having a rim, a 'hollow rubber tire carried thereby and having three peripheral grooves, one of which is adapted to receive a trolley wire and the other two of which facilitate the movement of the interso that the portions or ridges mediate portions of the tire towardthe trolley wire toy grip the latter.l and conducting means within the' lirst-mentioned groove.-

5. A--trolley wheel having a rim, a resilient tire of non-conducting material, and a facing for said tire and formed of a plurality of transversely-egrtending wires connected together and connected to said rim.

6. A trolley wheel having a resilient tire .of non-conducting material, provided with three circumferential grooves, one of which serves to receive' the trolley wire, a plurality of transverse .wires `extending across said grooves, and connecting wires in the two outer grooves for holding said transverse wires in place.

7 A trollfy Wheel having a resilient tire y of non-conducting material, provided with three circumferential grooves, one of which serves to receive'the trolley wlre, a plurality of transverse wires extending across said grooves, connecting wires in the two outer grooves for holding said transverse wires in place, and electric connections between said connecting wires and the -ri-m of the wheel.

8. A trolley. wheel having a peripheral tire of non-conducting resilient material,

and a facing upon said tire formed of a plurality of wires electrically connected'to the rim of the wheel.

9. A trolley wheel having a peripheral tire formed of resilient non-conducting materia-l and provided with a peripheral groove adapted to receive a trolley Wire, said tire having a metallic facing wlthin saidgroove ,and electrically connected with the body of.

the wheel.

In testimony whereof have signed my name to this specification 1n the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWARD K. HARRIS. 

